Forum Discussion

Dan_Giberson's avatar
Dan_Giberson
Level 5
12 years ago

Duplication to Tape going across sites

We have set up a new backup environment to replace our old and sick backup servers.  AS well, we have built a new datacenter across the country that needs to be backed up. Our new environment consists of:

Site A

Master server (Win 2k8) NBU7.5.0.3

2 x Media servers

1 tape library

1 DD860

 

Site B

1 Media Server

1 DD860

 

We have created all of our policies using SLP with some data being replicated between DD's and some going to tape depending on requirements. Now, here's the issue....every month, we promote our last image to a monthly backup and write it to tape. My two media servers at Site A will write images to tape, however the media server at Site B will also grab images from the Site A DD as well. This can't be optimal, streaming the image across the country, then back again....

Any thoughts on what we are missing? Let me know what other details you might need.

 

Thanks as always.

Dan

7.5
Backup and Recovery
Best Practice
NetBackup
Tip-How to
Troubleshooting
  • Douglas_A's avatar
    Douglas_A
    12 years ago

    Sounds like you need to do some combination using the Atl read server as stated above..

    the SLP should be like

    Backup << Site B DataDomain

             Duplicate <SiteA DataDomain

                   Duplicate < SiteA Tape Set Alt Read Server to SiteA Media Server

    This should make it use the copy in SiteA for the tape Out, as well as define the media server to use.

     

    Remember this will only take effect for any NEW slps the ones written prior to the configuration change will not get the new configurations. You might try (and this is a guess) if you can deavtivate the media server in SiteB when you make the tape copies NBU could choose to use the one in SiteA since it would be the only one available.

8 Replies

Sort By
  • Douglas_A's avatar
    Douglas_A
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    It sounds like the Copy at Site B is bring promoted to the primary copy and thats what will be used when you dupe off to tape unless you otherwise specifiy in an SLP.

     

    It sounds like this process is manual it might be easier to use SLP to create your tape copy on your month end. So createing a Schedule thats a full for month end that will run a calendar based schedule so you can select something like last friday of the month or whatever and have it write a copy to disk, SLP to SiteB and create a tape from SiteA or copy 1 via the samn SLP.

     

  • RonCaplinger's avatar
    RonCaplinger
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Assuming you are using OST to replicate data between sites.  If you are not using Storeage Lifecycle Policies to manage the replication, you should do so.  You would use one SLP defined for Site B to:

    1. use that media server and DD860 as the disk Storage Unit
    2. indent the next line and duplicate to Site A's DD860 disk Storage Unit, using one of site A's media server that has access to the tape drives as the Alternate Read Server
    3. indent the next line and duplicate to the tape Storage Unit, using the same Alternate Read Server in step 2

    Then select the SLP defined above in the NBU backup policy field instead of a regular storage unit.

  • Dan_Giberson's avatar
    Dan_Giberson
    Level 5
    12 years ago

    Hey Guys...we are acutally using SLP for the entire process. Below is hopefully a better explanation.

    1)Site A media server has no backup written to from Site B.

    2) When SLP's are used for Site B media servers to backup data to the DD then duplicate to the Site A DD then duplicate to tape, D2D2T, none of the backups go through that Site A media server as planned.

    3) When the duplicate from the Site B DD to the DD in Site A is initiated the Site A media server is not used.

    4) However when the tape part of the duplicate process is initiated by the SLP's the Site A server is being used send the data to the tape library in Site B even though this server is not used for the backups.

     

    Make sense?

     

  • Douglas_A's avatar
    Douglas_A
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    You lost me there.. so the tape library is in Site B?

     

    Let me try to confirm your process here..

    Primary backup in SiteB replicated via DD to SiteA. then the Tape copy is being made in SiteA but for some reason trys to use SiteBs media server?

     

     

  • RonCaplinger's avatar
    RonCaplinger
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    In your SLP for backing up Site B to Site A, what is listed for the Alternate Read Server: nothing, Site B media server, or Site A media server?

    If it is defined correctly, Alternate Read Server fields in the SLP for both the replication step from Site B to Site A, AND the duplication step to tape, should be set for Site A's media server.  If it is set incorrectly, you will see "site_a_mediaserver -> site_b_mediaserver" or vice-versa in the "Media Server" column in the NetBackup GUI.  Any time that field shows two different media servers, you are likely sending data between them, not using OST between the two Data Domains.

  • Mark_Solutions's avatar
    Mark_Solutions
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Good advice above and dont forget in SLPs that the indent can also determine how things run..

     

    Backup

    Duplicate

    Duplicate

    is not the same as

    Backup

             Duplicate

    Duplicate

    or

    Backup

            Duplicate

            Duplicate

    (the left and right buttons in the SLP)

    Hope this gives more to think about and helps

  • Douglas_A's avatar
    Douglas_A
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Sounds like you need to do some combination using the Atl read server as stated above..

    the SLP should be like

    Backup << Site B DataDomain

             Duplicate <SiteA DataDomain

                   Duplicate < SiteA Tape Set Alt Read Server to SiteA Media Server

    This should make it use the copy in SiteA for the tape Out, as well as define the media server to use.

     

    Remember this will only take effect for any NEW slps the ones written prior to the configuration change will not get the new configurations. You might try (and this is a guess) if you can deavtivate the media server in SiteB when you make the tape copies NBU could choose to use the one in SiteA since it would be the only one available.